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• Undervalued 
  
• Poorly Done
• Under appreciated 

..... Enter the Kettlebell Swing. 

First things first. the kettlebell swing is a hinge not a squat. No, hinging properly does not hurt your lower back. Yes, hinging poorly will hurt your back. I know shocker. 

3 Things I keep coming back to when coaching the swing.

1.) Keep the bell close to the zip. My way of saying hinge hard, keep it close to your crotch, don't let the bell sag down.

2.) Be violent. Stop swing the bell like the lunk alarm at Plant Fitness will go hard. Get into it, swing hard, move with some intent. 

3.) Squeeze the oranges in your armpit. My way of saying don't lose tension in your upper back. When you stay squeeze n the armpit you engage your lats and keep the upper back musculature activated, making it really hard to flex the spine (which you don't want to do). 

What does it do? 

➡️glute, hamstring, adductor activation
➡️dynamically load the hip hinge
➡️add a metabolic component (endurance) to your strength training
➡️add some hip extension to your life, which majority of people who sit a good portion of the day could use.
➡️a good balance of mobility and stability
➡️grip strength
➡️add a bit more athleticism to your training

Why the band?
The band will add more resistance, while also forcing you to stay true to the hinge. For me this is one of those odd exercises. The band makes it hard because of more resistance, but at the same time can help clean up a faulty hinge pattern. 

Happy Training 

Brett Cummins